Groupon and Living Social coupons... £48 for two, 8-course taster menu with champagne cocktail and a glass of wine. Not bad eh? I've been to Juniper before and liked the food, though found 3 courses a bit too much, so how will 8 courses be?
Our two friends who were sharing one of the coupons with us were already sipping their champagne (mixed with brandy and apple juice and cinnamon) when we arrived and it was quite pokey, if a bit sweet. We were all a bit mid-week-weary, but pepped up when the tasty first course of a crab cake, crab mayonnaise and crayfish and salmon cocktail in a sherry glass arrived. All very fresh and full of flavour.... mmm we were in for a treat! The smoked duck was quite nice with some delicious honeyhoi sin leg meat, ginger and garlic jelly and a port jus. Sweet but strong. The third starter was a thick pea and ham soup which felt really nourishing and full of body.
The fish dish was a tiny tender square of seabass with two lovely accompaniments - red pepper and tomato compote and creamy mushroom and pesto sauce. Our friend's partner has been a vegetarian for years but recently has started eating meat again, so she bravely cut into the lamb rump served on a circlet of smashed root vegetables with a redcurrant lamb jus. I loved it, but Scott found the meat a little tough for his delicate meat tolerance.
The cheese course was surprising because it let us to believe we were getting goats cheese, vintage cheddar and Exmoor blue.. but it came as a cheese-on-toast rarebit with chutney. Delicious though! For dessert each couple had a plate of tasters to share. The coffee cream dessert was scrumptious, as was the passion fruit mousse, the titchy witchy cinamon pastry and chocolate brownie but I could have left the little trifle.
Sad to say, I have put on half a pound this week, which is not surprising seeing as I have had 3 meals out, a party and a buffet lunch! This was a good night of lovely food and good value from the Groupon L/S people. We laughed a lot, put the world to rights, shared experiences and feelings and I loved the company of my old friend and his partner, whom I am enjoying getting to know. Let's do it again I say!
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